Undeath and Rebirth

The waves continued to crash into each other as the hurricane roared relentlessly from above, making even the most straightforward task of strolling around the beach more daunting. Ashen Dunes observed the Nautilus while it continued to rebuild itself.

“Someday, I’ll make you skyworthy once more,” he assured himself with a whistle and rubbed the interior’s smooth surface. A low rumble emanated from within. “Rhenaes, my sweet? Are you in there?” He called, heading deeper into the half-sunken ship.

“A-ahh, yes! I’m here!” The crystal mare’s voice echoed. When the unicorn scholar found his crystalline lover at the ship’s core, where the black box once sat, the rooms were now covered in a swath of interconnected, wispy black tentacles made from a murky black liquid that emitted an overly sweet smell. “Don’t look!”

Ashen snorted. “Nothing I haven’t seen before, my dear. No need for…Ooh!”

He paused to see the jade pegasus naked and squatted down, her belly heavily swollen as if she’d been impregnated well after the eldritch beast dumped its dozenth load into her stretched-to-capacity uterus.

“You’re really smitten with this creature, aren’t you? N-Not that I can blame you!”

“… It does feel nice,” admitted Rheneas with a deepening blush. “But I mostly did it to help the Nautilus! It heals every time it, um, ‘uses’ me. A-and I want to help you out too, so...”

More of the poised ebony tentacles suspended around the jade pegasus crystal mare oscillated, throbbed, and pumped more seminal liquids that splashed all over every angle of their chosen broodmare, which glistened under the hot, sticky substance that oozed down her slender curves.

“Thank heavens this stuff can’t knock me up,” she whispered as more cumshots rained over her small but perky breasts, her red hot face, bloated tummy, then her pert ass. Not an inch of the crystal pegasus dancer was left untouched by the viscous ropes of seed that continually drizzled down her matted fur and shiny skin.

Ashen approached and stroked her cheek. “You don’t have to try so hard, Rhennie. I appreciate it. And I’m sure the Nautilus does, too. On that note, I’ve also been hard at work and have made new friends I hope will sail with us in the sky! Old friends of Beatrix displaced by the dimensional breach!” He settled into the obscurity beside her and met her snout in a drawn-out kiss.

“Oh! I-I can’t wait to meet them! Oh, but I’m a little sore?” Rhenaes rubbed her gravid tummy as the liquids slowly drained from her puffy, squelching twat. “Hope I’ll be decent in time to see Oona!”

“Well, we’d better clean up then.” Ashen Dune offered his hands and helped her rise with him. Fortunately, the Nautilus sensed their wishes and slowly flooded the chambers with seawater. Ashen was thankful that he’d decided not to carry any valuables on him once the calm, salty waters washed over the couple.

Briefly, the lovers swam in the waters, hands linked when they kissed, and they cradled breast-to-breast. Ashen wondered how his brother Penumbra and sister Cerise were fairing, not to mention the rest of his family and friends. The storm continued unabated and routinely rocked the Nautilus interior.

He’d shared what advice he could with Clan Jakobson in preparation for the war, uncertain how much it would really help. He was a merchant and politician, not a warrior! In a scrap, he was useless, but he’d shown them how to make simple explosives from what was on hand.

Once the waters drained and rinsed them, Rheneas redressed into her black glittery ballerina garb and asked, “You don’t happen to know where Demi-Trix is, do you? Haven’t seen her in a while!”

“I have not, either. I pray she’s doing well.” He kissed and nuzzled her once more before they exited the ship. Immediately, the winds and rain beat down on the pair, who could not fly in this weather and opted to make a mad dash for shelter, which forced him to follow up with the ship deck while she made her way to the palace.

“I’ll catch up with you later,” promised Rheneas over the howl of the winds.

He waved and mumbled, “I should work on my cardio more. Why, I’m positively frail next to my family!”

While Rhenaes had been busy mending the Nautilus with her body, Ashen spent his time making connections with whoever he could across the Isles of Parras, at least where he was allowed to travel. He had convinced a couple of familiar faces to join his small crew. The bohemian unicorn with sandy locks called on his experience as a merchant and politician; his silver tongue worked to promise them riches, glory, and entertainment, which he always kept his word on. Especially since he may need to call on their services if they leave!

His multiple scarves and robes whirled in the breeze when he inhaled the fresh air around the shipwrecked Nautilus, stirred up by the storm that raged in the distance and only momentarily abated its furious stir.

“Hmm?” He peered past his spectacles as the ship’s sails buffeted the worst of the winds. “Is that a sea breeze I smell?”

A splash resounded from the watery depths of the ship’s interior when the mare in question emerged denuded from an unpatched hole. Rivulets of water ran down her lean, athletic body. Seabreeze, an old friend of Beatrix’s, met on a nudist paradise planet called Eden and was also an attendee of Cerise’s wedding to Midnight. “Hey there!” She lazily waved to him. “So, boss, what’s on the agenda today?”

“Nothing in particular. And no need to be formal. I prefer to run a relaxed ship,” he insisted with a wink.

“Ah. Good. I like to take it easy when I can.” Seabreeze leaned her head on her arms, still mainly in the waters, while she peeked up from the hole. “Not sure how useful a surfer will be, but-”

“I like your company! Plus, it’ll be odd jobs, mostly. So, feel free to swim the night away. My dream has always been to expand my country’s territories and make the world a paradise! These islands are all I’ve ever dreamt of. Why, it almost makes my poor eyes water!” He opened his sleeved arms wide to take it all in. The endless sea, the mountainsides, the forestry cloaked in mist. If not for the chaotic weather and bloody war on the horizon, he could almost picture the serenity of Oona Ewe’s homeland.

“Yeah. And it looks like that pocket dimension I fell into changed me, too.” Seabreeze crawled out of the waters and onto the deck, a puddle left below her while her supple, nude body dripped. When she leaned forward, he could better see her small breasts and the wide flare of her hips.

At first look, she resembled a typical, cute mare. But the differences became apparent upon closer inspection. Scales shimmered under the lamplight on her skin. Gills on each side of her tummy expanded and contracted. “Kinda freaked me out at first. Guess I should be happy I didn’t become full mermare, huh?”

“I think it only makes you more exotic,” he mused with open appreciation.

“That it does,” she admitted with a thin blush. “Thanks, man.” With a wiggle of her pert bottom, she turned and dove back into the waters to resume her swim, used to how flirty the friendly merchant was.

Taking a moment to stroke his chin and admire her beauty, Ashen strolled to the bow, where another familiar companion he’d recruited worked with a combination of materials provided and her own magical and psychic abilities to develop potential figureheads he’d commissioned. He softly cleared his throat to announce his presence. “Shimmer Shade? How goes it?”

“See for yourself,” said the mare artist in her prench accent. With a flourish, she showed off many half-completed works that could potentially adorn the ship. Krakens, sirens, mermaids, a leviathan...a menagerie of exotic, aquatic creatures, from the grotesque to the beautiful.

However, he honed in on one molded after the likeness of his lover, the crystal pegasus nude with her plume outstretched, her slender arms presented like she strove to hold something close to her petite bosom. “Curious,” he mused while he circled the piece. “It appears a piece is amiss. What is she intended to embrace?”

“The second half,” explained Shimmer Shade, who lazily waved a hand to direct his attention at the statue’s counterpart. One in the likeness of the prince, also nude and ready to hold her.

“Ahah! Splendid! It’s a shame that Rheneas turned down the chance to have this adorn the Nautilus. I fear this will have to be reserved for my private collection.” Ashen formed a window with his fingers, picturing how the statues would look once connected in a sensual, romantic embrace.

“Perhaps she’ll come around with a little...persuasion~?” She offered with a bat of her lashes and a swish of her leonine tail, the tall unicorn mare like a runway model when she rose.

“No, no, no. Poor Rheneas already suffered the temporary loss of her body to that Vice Lord, Doppia. Be on your best behavior! A-And no mind control. Period!”

He’d learned that somehow, not only could the enigmatic artist warp reality to a small extent with her brush, but she could mentally persuade others, too! Perhaps she, too, had learned to access her Onoma...?

He speculated that Shimmer Shade came from an advanced world like the Cyberverse, where psionic abilities were commonplace. He couldn’t entirely dismiss the idea she’d worked her technique on him when he hired her, not that he would have turned away such a valuable asset regardless!

“Oui! Certainly.” Her blind, unblinking eyes turned toward his voice and movements. “I had a crystal mare friend who fell under Sombra’s mental domination. I’d never seek to take advantage. I once had my mind’s eye awakened… but I never thought my so-called third eye would become literal!” Her third eye opened on her forehead, able to see the auras of those around her.

“A side-effect when you passed through a pocket dimension to wind up here. Maybe it was fate?” He chuckled. “After all, my friend, Beatrix, is an anomaly that’s drawn many odd characters to her! Why, speculation has it that one must have’ died’ first to arrive at that paradise planet, Eden. The ‘Paradise Twins’ that looked after the nudist land acted as angelic benefactors to new arrivals, yes?”

“Mon Dieu, they did! Hmm, whatever happened to the twins?”

“That version of Foal-Bearer and Wet Nurse married Moon Hammer after they met at Cerise’s wedding and changed their names to Strawberry Moon and Blue Moon! Why, rumor has it, they’ve even bore his calves! Their counterparts, the equally lovely ‘Manor Twins,’ may come here with Sir Dion to visit Lady Oona Ewe?”

Shimmer nodded once. “What, with the war on the horizon, we could use their aid.”

Satisfied with her work, Ashen made the rounds with the rest of his surviving crew, only to learn that Rheneas had already tried to attend the war council underway. He endeavored to follow her after he felt it safe to travel after his fleet-footed lover, wondering whether he and Rheneas would be allowed beyond the village as he made his way through.

His brow furrowed in puzzlement when the rams on duty escorted him in and took him directly to the meeting place. He didn’t know most of the war council by name other than Lord Hedan, who stood to welcome him and King Ambros. Tirek, who remained quiet with his arms folded, flanked the unicorn king of the Crystal Empire. Rheneas ushered the young prince to sit beside her as the two leaders went straight to business—no time for pleasantries.

“The storm delayed our arrival, unfortunately,” began Ambros, his face grim. “We may have less than an hour before Walrpurgisnacht begins. All magic on this island will be at its most potent.”

Hedan nodded and grunted, “Durin' a lunar eclipse, no less. It’s a bad omen – A sign that th' moon won’t be th' only thin' stained wit blood…”

The dark unicorn concurred. “From what I’ve gathered, The Legion of Black Roses boasts many creatures of the night at the command of the remaining Vice Lords, Alma and Douglas. Not to mention the Sovereign Witch’s forces are entirely comprised of Equestria’s most gifted spellcasters.”

“An' mah army favors hardy warriors.” The four-horned chieftain sighed. “Needless tae say, we’re at a severe disadvantage. They’ll likely pick us off from a distance befur sendin' their demons tae swoop in an' collect th' scraps. Long befur we coold e'er reach them. Our mages are no slouches but offer far fewer numbers. At this rate, it’ll be a complete massacre!”

The umbral king drew a gauntlet-clad hand across the map and pointed at the island entrances. “Not unless my fleet can cut off Tatyana’s forces and prevent them from landing,” proposed Ambros. “Granted, that won’t account for enemies that can fly or swim underneath through their power or strange devices. I recall seeing magic carpets woven during my last visit to Canterlot. Still, they may be able to rain destruction even from their ships.”

“Mah archers can fire arrows faster than they can cast incantations,” proclaimed Hedan, stroking his braided beard. “Hmm, yes… it might work. A wall ov archers coold hail arrows, dispatch mages an' devils alike.”

“The Nautilus can swim and fly,” Rhenaes cut in, earning a glance from the two leaders that caused her to stiffen. Nonetheless, her voice mustered courage as she continued to speak. “It’s a Glamorguis – the same type of creature as the one imitating the manor Beatrix used to live in.”

“You mean the one that now serves Alma as her fortress,” questioned Ambros.

Ashen added in. “She’s managed to feed it enough to recover from its injuries. And our crew is working hard to prepare it for battle. It may seem like a long shot, but it’s our only real answer against the Vice Lords and their underlings!”

“A ship ov that caliber woold be an outstandin' asset,” concurred Hedan. “If ye believe th' Nautilus can handle such an assault, A’ll leave ye tae deal wit th' lesser creatures.” His cherry-red eyes narrowed at the map. “That bein' said, we still don’t have enough information as tae what th' Baobhan Sith an' her followers are capable of. This isn’t an enemy we can broker peace wit…”

“Indeed,” concurred Ambros. “She butchered the former rulers of the Crystal Empire with little trouble.”

Rhenaes rose, hands balled into fists. “... When I was a prisoner in my own body, I witnessed the malicious and bloodthirsty monster Alma through Doppia’s eyes. But I’ve also seen how vulnerable she actually is.”

Hedan’s brows furrowed. “Go on.”

“The Vice Lord of Deceit was often ridiculed for being the weakest of the Burning King’s minions. But she had ways to spy on her enemies – right under their noses. She used any reflection or mirror to infiltrate their private quarters and eavesdrop on conversations.” Rhenaes scoffed. “She’d make for an impressive asset… had her vanity and jealousy not consumed, as well as confiding with Varys.”

“There’s nothing admirable about Doppia,” reminded Ashen. “You’re better than her in every way!”

“I-I’m flattered, but that’s beside the point,” she responded. “I remember one conversation Alma was having with herself. How she despised seeing nothing in her reflection and the unwanted lust and hunger vampirism brought. That alone speaks volumes about the kind of person hiding behind the Vice Lord of Desire. Alma doesn’t want to spill blood for her to feast and bathe in; that’s mostly her anguish talking. She wants to be free of her affliction!”

The umbral king folded his arms. “So what do you propose? We offer her a cure in exchange for surrender?”

“Preposterous,” said Hedan. “Once a vampire is turned, th' only salvation they are granted is a stake throogh their undead heart or direct sunlight. E'en if such a cure existed, I doubt Alma woold be in th' bargainin' mood!”

“All I’m offering is a perspective,” Rhenaes reiterated. “You want to maintain peace on Parras, right?”

“Only if possible,” the elderly ram said sternly. “Ah admire yer tenacity an' optimism, young maiden. Ah truly wish things coold be resolved as ye suggest. But a single sliver ov peace can not change th' outcome ov an entire war. Ah fear that has already been set in stone.”

Suddenly, a caprine messenger arrived and bowed, “Lord Hedan! I–!!”

“This is an important meetin',” demanded Hedan impatiently. “We are mere minutes away from midnight! Speak now, or fore'er hold yer tongue!”

“A-A strange cult has been spotted by the scouts, sir,” he answered meekly. “Taking refuge in the woodlands atop the hills!”

“Bahh! More bad news. Nothing Ah haven’t–”

“Among them is the Father of Monsters, s-sir…”

The towering ram slammed his fists into the table, shaking it under his weight as he rose in alert. “WHAT!?”

“I-I wish it were not so, my lord! But I saw it with my own eyes. Grogar has returned to the Isles of Parras!”

“Impossible! Th' Mystic Guardians ensured mah great uncle woold remain imprisoned! How did he…” He was at a loss for words, riled-up emotions bubbling beneath his stoic features. It no longer mattered how exactly the ancient evil escaped his detention again. Only what his arrival implied. “...oh no! Oona!!”

Hedan threw a passionate glare at his surrounding soldiers. “Alert Seamus an' his orcs. They are tae meet me at th' town’s end towards th' hillsides. A’ll lead th' investigation intae this matter meself.”

“B-But sir, we’re–!”

“Ah will not have that bastard anywhere near mah daughter again!” He bellowed.

The squadron stayed silent and nodded their heads. Hedan took in a massive breath and continued his command. “Until Ah return, King Ambros shall lead th' attack against Tatyana an' her fleet. Obey his orders like they’re my own. Ah have spoken!” With that, he rushed past the messenger with a light shove, loud thumps splattering the mud as the caprine leader sprinted out of the meeting room.

Ambros watched with a solemn look before hardening his features. “I want every archer and mage boarded on my ship at once. Grab whatever weapons and potions you can. We depart for the sea in twenty minutes!”

“Aye, sir!” The soldiers sounded off, and the rest of the rams, minotaurs, and fauns scattered into the rain-soaked streets, gathering all their essentials for the impending battle. The umbral king and his centaur commander marched towards the dock, where the mothership stood sentinel to the crashing waves.

A troubled look was exchanged between Ashen and Rhenaes before they left to get the Nautilus ready ahead of schedule. As they ran, eyes were drawn to the storm that crackled above. Dark clouds rumbled overhead, precipitating thick droplets. Crimson bolts branched through the skies, flashing brief light in the perpetual black. Howling winds continued to build rapid momentum, rocking waves that threatened to capsize Ambros’s entire fleet...

Abadonna dropped her crayon, hand trembling, coated with her drawing dust. Her yellow-purple pupils dilated at what her prophetic sketching had conjured. The entire collection of drawings of her future, along with the characters and people she knew, is now doused in black scribbles.

Scattered on the floor were more nonsensical drawings of scribbles and dark spirals. The only one with any semblance of vision being her latest creation. The shadow of her father, Omen, over a red circle, unleashing darkness, upon further observation, bled onto the entire collage she drew.

“No…. No, nonononono,” the young witch muttered, looking over every sketch, praying she found one detail that could prevent this horrific premonition.

Nothing.

Abadonna gasped as the sound of digital distortion rang in the room. Eyes widened as parts of the bedroom began to deteriorate into dark static and wisps. The shelves, bedposts, and decor vanished into oblivion. Outside the window, a shadow gradually crept over the full moon, showing hints of the sanguine coloring it would take once the transit was completed.

“Mama!!”

Quickly as she could, the little lamb ran down the stairwell to warn her mother… merely for reality to glitch her forward in time, causing her to stumble on the last step.

But instead of a hard thud, Abby landed on the floor with a warm splash. Pushing herself up, her eyes took in the sight of a puddle of blood staining the carpet. Staring momentarily at her blood-soaked hands, she let out a harrowing scream upon discovering the source.

Fidelma, whose visage of shock and disbelief reflected perfectly to the large gash that opened her chest, the last of her life essence oozing out until her carcass was drained.

“A-Ah didn’t mean tae..!” A shaky, breathless voice lamented.

Abby turned her frightened gaze at a bloodied Oona, wielding a kitchen knife, steel dripping with the soothsayer’s blood. Scarlet also stained her maternity gown.

“…mom..?!”

Tears continuously poured down her round face, the pregnant faun panting hysterically through soft sobbing. “Ah didn’t mean tae!” She babbled. “She was talkin' madly aboot ye, Abby. Claimin' ye were an abomination spawned by evil that woold hareld th' apocalypse upon birth! She… she tried tae get rid ov ye, Abby! Ah had tae stop her!!”

The caprine unicorn noticed an inky blackness seeping out of her mother’s honey-brown eyes. A tall tale sign that her father’s Onoma had taken ample root in her mind. “This isn’t you, mom! This isn’t real! It’s—!”

Her voice dropped off when the sound of jingling bells resonated in the darkness, followed by the scrapping of something sharp, making a horrible hiss. Then, a giddy chuckle.

“What were you going to say, Abs? That’s it all make-believe..?”

The lamb child balked. “That voice..! No… You can’t be here!!”

A small plushie doll emerged out of the darkness next to Oona’s feet. Not any of the ones Demi-Trix made. This one was taller, in the shape of a white rabbit dress, and painted clownish clothes. Its long ears are patched with blue and yellow stripes to mimic a jester’s hat, with bells embedding the tip. A pair of mismatching gold and red button eyes gleamed with life, and a sizeable toothy-filled smile stretched well past the seams.

“Sure I can! So long as you remember me, I'll always be around,” The killer plushie mused, tilting its head to the side. “After all, you never forget your first friend~!”

Abby narrowed her eyes at the deranged bunny clown. “I’ve outgrown you, Mr. Jangles! The only place you’re wanted is in my forgotten toybox!”

“Ohohohohoh! Haven’t you heard, Abs?” He lifted one of his long ears right as thunder clapped. “Times are changing. A whole new playground is being built just for us! And we have a lot of catching up to do. ‘Best Buds ‘Til The End,’ right~?”

The jester-garbed plushie cackles. That’s when Abadonna noticed that in one of his stubby arms was a miniature knife, bloodied cotton stuck to its blade. Her eyes peered past to recognize lumps of torn and severed parts. The trio of plushies had also been disemboweled, a gruesome explanation as to why they had failed to warn the Child of Lightendark of the disturbing scene.

Her brows furrowed with anger, glaring behind her weeping mother and snickering stuffed toy to the unseen threat playing at her fears. “Omen! Quit hiding behind your shadows. I know you’re here!”

In response to her declaration, the surroundings glitched and distorted. Candle lights flickering like lightbulbs. Discordant classical music resonated through a scratched record that skipped on occasion. Mr. Jangles took a long cartoonish sidestep to allow the Nightmare Stag room to materialize. His prominent antlers emerged first, then his smiling visage, and finally, the rest of his slender shape.

“That’s no way to address your father, is it?” He said with an eyebrow raised.

“I will never call you that again,” refused Abadonna. “Not after everything you’ve done!”

Omen snorted with bemusement. “We shall see.”

“Release your hold on my mother! Now!”

The gray cervine glanced at the shuddering azure sheep woman, whom he comforted with soft strokes. “This? Oh, I didn’t cause this. This was all because of Beatrix’s negligence.”

A monochromatic cosmic aura flared from her horns and eyes. “LIAR!”

“Believe what you want, child. But the fact remains that your ‘other’ mother is nowhere in sight. I could show you what she’s been up to, but…” He gave a stiff chuckle and a knowing grin. “…you’re not old enough for that yet~.”

“She will come! I don’t know what else you’ve changed here, but that part of the timeline cannot be altered!”

“Quite right,” acknowledged Omen. “I admit, she made some choices I couldn’t have predicted. Allowing the Necronomicon’s destruction was the last decision I would have expected her to make! But I’ll figure out what lies beyond that consequence eventually. And even when she does come here, It’s far too late for her to stop me.”

“No!”

“Face reality, little Abby. ꒐’꒦ꏂ ꋬ꒒ꋪꏂꋬ꒯ꌦ ꅐꄲꋊ!”

Before Abadonna could launch her most powerful spell to shut the bastard’s mouth, the dream shamaness gasped and made a painful sound that paused her impending attack. “M-Mom?”

A new stain splattered the front of her dress, a puddle pooling out the skirts as Oona convulsed in the fiend’s grasp with a shudder. She dropped the stained knife, finally passing out in Omen’s claws as realization drew on Abby’s face.

Her mother’s water broke!

Omen petted Oona’s drenched cheek and gave a subdued chuckle. “It looks like you’re out of time as well. Thanks to Enock’s influence, you may not fade away. But your future has been changed too much for your spells to fluctuate properly.”

Abby balked as, true to his word; her magic faltered into small bursts. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t call forth her Onoma or any of her latent spells. “No! No gods, NO! NOT NOW!!”

“It’s over, Abby,” declared the nightmare stag. “Your power dwindles…”

Darkness consumed his body like hungering maws as he took his cryptid deer shape. “… ꅐꁝ꒐꒒ꏂ ꂵ꒐ꋊꏂ ꍌꋪꄲꅐꇙ ꅐ꒐꓄ꁝ ꏂ꒦ꏂꋪꌦ ꊰꏂꇙ꓄ꏂꋪ꒐ꋊꍌ ꅐꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯꒐꒐ꋊꊰ꒒꒐ꉔ꓄ ꄲꋊ ꓄ꁝꏂ ꂵ꒤꒒꓄꒐꒦ꏂꋪꇙꏂ!”

His eyeless skull parted, his long, slimy tongue caressing Oona’s cheek, savoring the dried salty tears that drenched her face.

“Get away from her!!” Abadonna shouted, opting to rush down the seer of black dreams, who opened his palm to hold her in place with his magic.

The caprine unicorn child struggled and gasped when the cottage slowly diminished into blackened pixels. His antlers glowered with a malevolent aura, twisting the wall to manifest a television that flickered to life with red-white noise.

Then, the device displayed a picture, revealing one of the countless interconnected universes. A farmland where stocks of corn almost towered over a small wooden house and barn in the distance

And posted stationary in front was another one of her father’s minions. One that caused the Child of Lightendark to wriggle for her life. A decrypted scarecrow, adorned with worn cloth, scarf, and a farmer’s fedora atop its burlap sack head. Stitched together was a deformed face, which pulled apart the sockets and mouth to greet Abby with glowing eyes and needle-like teeth.

“You remember Harvy, don’t ya, Abs?” Mr. Jangles teased cruelly. “He’s gonna watch over us while mom and dad are busy. Come on, it’ll be fun! Just like old times~!”

The little rabbit jester hopped through the static portal while Abadonna continued to kick and scream with all her might.

“MOMMY! YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!” She pleaded, eyes welling with tears as Oona remained unconscious. “PLEASE! MOMMY!!”

“꒐꓄’ꇙ ꉣꋬꇙ꓄ ꌦꄲ꒤ꋪ ꃳꏂ꒯꓄꒐ꂵꏂ, ꋬꃳꃳꌦ,” Omen coldly retorted, giving a nod to the botanic grimm on screen. The scarecrow screeched, squirming on its post before vines and gangly limbs snapped out of its body to seize the resilient child.

“꒐’꒯ ꓄ꏂ꒒꒒ ꌦꄲ꒤ ‘ꇙꅐꏂꏂ꓄ ꒯ꋪꏂꋬꂵꇙ’… ꃳ꒤꓄ ꒐’ꂵ ꋬꊰꋪꋬ꒐꒯ ꓄ꁝꏂꋪꏂ ꋬꋪꏂꋊ’꓄ ꋬꋊꌦ ꒒ꏂꊰ꓄.”

Her wails were cut off as the television switched channels, the last image of poor Abadonna reaching for her mother while the scarecrow monster reeled her into its thorny embrace.

With his nuisance of a daughter detained and his victory on the horizon, Omen retook his standard shape. Cradling the unconscious Oona Ewe bridal-style to his chest, the nahtdyr walked into the stormy night as her entire cottage disintegrated from reality as if it was never there.

Rain showered down over the pair as he carried his prize back to the woods, where the rest of his camp awaited to help him deliver the baby.

Omen then paused his march to turn his head to the reader currently taking in this section of the story. You can't see it, but he gave you a welcoming smile.

“Won't you join us for dinner~?”